Substance-related disorder
group of mental and behavioural disorders, including both substance dependence and substance abuse
Substance-related disorders are a class of disorders listed in the DSM-5 that are "related to the taking of a drug of abuse (including alcohol)".
Substance-related disorders are most prevalent in individuals ages 18–25, with a higher likelihood occurring in men compared to women, and urban residents compared to rural residents. On average, general medical facilities hold 22% of patients with substance-related disorders, possibly leading to psychiatric disorders later on. Over 50% of individuals with substance-related disorders will often have a "dual diagnosis", where they are diagnosed with the substance use, as well as a psychiatric diagnosis, the most common being major depressive disorder, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, and dysthymia.
Substance use, also known as drug use, is a patterned use of a substance in which the user consumes the substance in amounts or with methods which are harmful to themselves or others. The drugs used are often associated with levels of substance intoxication that alter judgment, perception, attention, and physical control, not related with medical effects. It is often thought that the main used substances are illegal drugs and alcohol; however, it is becoming more common that prescription drugs and tobacco are a prevalent problem.
Signs and symptoms
Common symptoms include:
Sudden changes in behaviour – may engage in secretive or suspicious behaviour
Mood changes – anger towards others, paranoia and little care shown about themselves or their future
Problems with work or school – lack of attendance
Changes in eating and sleeping habits
Changes in friendship groups and poor family relationships
A sudden unexplained change in financial needs – leading to borrowing/stealing money
There are many more symptoms such as physical and psychological changes, though this is often dependent on which substance is being used. It is, however, common that people who use substances will experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if the drug is taken away from them.
It is also reported that others have strong cravings even after they have not used the drug for a long period of time.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Substance-related disorder” is group of mental and behavioural disorders, including both substance dependence and substance abuse. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Substance-related, disorder and group, not as a finished interpretation.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4134457. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Substance-related disorder” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.